Eclipse Shadows

eclipse shadowsDid you catch the eclipse?

If you missed this one, the next solar annular eclipse won’t be for a long time. BUT, there’s a partial lunar eclipse coming up very early in the morning of June 4 (for the West Coast, US), so get ready.

Moon Shadow, Moon Shadow

Don’t forget Sunday’s (May 20) annular solar eclipse.  What’s an annular eclipse?  The moon only blocks part of the sun so there’s a ring–aka an annulus–of sun around the moon’s shadow.

May 2012 Annular Solar Eclipse

From NASA's Website: eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov

NASA has a nice map with timing of the eclipse’s path (sorry, not everyone will see it).  Here’s NASA’s handy-dandy chart giving local times for eclipse viewing for many US cities.  Most times are given in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) so here’s a converter.

DON’T LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN DURING THE ECLIPSE (OR EVER)!  YOU COULD INJURE YOUR EYES…POSSIBLY PERMANENTLY.  Here are Sky & Telescope‘s tips on how to safely view the eclipse.